Bin strike campaigners in Birmingham are urging the city to ‘break from Labour‘ and ‘build a real workers party’.
Activists for Unite, the union behind the bin strikes, have called for colleagues to join alliances with ‘lefty Greens’, other trade unionists and ‘free Palestine activists’ in a new coalition.
Taking to Facebook on Wednesday, the union community branch in Birmingham said that ‘there needs to be discussion involving all the groups’ about ‘building a new party with a United front approach’.
The Unite Community Birmingham page said: ‘I think there needs to be discussion involving all the groups, lefty greens, trade unionists, free Palestine activists about building a new party with a United front approach. Break from Labour and build a real workers party.’
It was in response to one of its own posts which shared a statement from the official Unite page thanking thousands of people who had signed its petition in support of striking bin workers.
Reposting the Unite post, the group said: ‘Victory to the [bin] workers – we need a new working class party to run Birmingham city Council!’.
A Unite spokesperson told the Telegraph that the union remains affiliated to Labour but added: ‘It is no surprise.. that people are questioning Labour’s position because of the situation in Birmingham.’
The union’s community branches are made of local campaigners who raise issues in their area rather than official union representatives and do not speak for Unite as a whole.
City streets are overflowing with rubbish after Birmingham City Council refuse workers walked out on March 11 in a dispute over changes to staffing
The Labour-led council was humiliated on Monday when the striking workers rejected their latest pay offer by an overwhelming majority and fresh talks on Wednesday ended without agreement
Taking to Facebook on Wednesday, the union community branch in Birmingham said that ‘there needs to be discussion involving all the groups’
The Labour-led council was humiliated on Monday when the striking workers rejected their latest pay offer by an overwhelming majority and fresh talks on Wednesday ended without agreement.
Leader of the Labour council, John Cotton, said on Thursday that images of the strikes ‘pained me personally’.
Union is one of Labour’s biggest donors but its relationship with party has become troubled since Sir Keir Starmer’s arrival with the union cutting its funding and refusing to endorse the party’s manifesto at last year’s general election.
However, there is no suggestion that Unite is officially considering breaking from Labour with members voted to maintain their links with the party two years ago.
The union has also found itself at odds with Labour Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner urged it to agree to the council’s latest offer, which its members have deemed unacceptable.
Ms Rayner pleaded with Unite to accept a ‘significantly improved offer’ to end the month-long crisis, which has seen rats running through mountains of bin bags.
But Unite members in Birmingham voted overwhelmingly against the council’s ‘totally inadequate’ proposal – meaning strikes which have left 21,000 tons of rubbish piling up on the streets of England’s second city will grind on.
Unite said that during Wednesday’s meeting the council refused to put in writing what officials have been saying in public and media interviews.
The row is continuing with no end in sight after Unite rejected a further offer this week as ‘inadequate’
Locals have resorted to calling in private collectors or are taking it to the tip themselves in order to stop the streets from becoming overrun
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner (pictured) had pleaded with Unite to accept an improved to end the month-long crisis
The union added it had urged council leaders and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner to meet the union’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, at any point over Easter to get the issues addressed.
Ms Graham said: ‘How can anyone be asked to lose a quarter of pay? These workers have mortgages, rent and food bills to pay. I see councillors’ expenses and council tax all go up, while wages and community services go down.
‘I stand ready to meet John Cotton and indeed Angela Rayner anytime over Easter. Rather than walking through rubbish with high vizzes on, let’s get this issue dealt with for workers and the community of Birmingham.’
A Unite spokesman said: ‘Unite’s first, second and third priority is workers and their pay and conditions.
‘Unite is a Labour Party affiliated trade union, with the last vote by members to continue affiliation taking place in July 2023.
‘It is no surprise, however, that people are questioning Labour’s position because of the situation in Birmingham.
‘We have a Labour council telling the public no bin worker will lose income, while in talks with Unite saying they will lose up to £8,000 – that being a quarter of their wages.
‘The council needs to put in writing what it is saying in public, that no one will lose pay, and the government should be pushing them to do this. Unite will not allow workers to pay the price for bad decisions made by employers.’
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham (pictured) has urged council leaders and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner to meet her over the Easter weekend
Rubbish piled up at the roadside in Birmingham’s Sparkbrook area. A deal is yet to be struck with the Unite union
People have resorted to begging people not to dump rubbish outside their homes as the strike continues
Leader of the Labour council, John Cotton, said on Thursday that images of the strikes ‘pained me personally’
The union said the industrial action was triggered by the council’s decision to remove the role of waste recycling and collection officers from its fleets.
They were responsible for safety at the back of a refuse collection lorry, the union said, and were a ‘safety-critical role’.
It warned the move would lead to affected workers losing £8,000 in their salary, as well as cutting off a ‘fair path for pay progression’.
Bankrupt Birmingham City Council – which is being overseen by government commissioners with plans to cut hundreds of jobs and sell off assets to help balance the books – say 170 staff members were affected by their decision to remove waste recycling and collection officers.
The authority said about 130 of these had accepted roles in other parts of the council on the same pay grade, while others have opted to train for more advanced roles.
Only 17 staff members – the council argued – could lose the maximum amount from their salary, which it says is £6,000, not £8,000.
Birmingham itself has been at war with binmen since 2017. Workers staged two walkouts in 2017 and 2019, leading to scenes like those seen on the streets of the city today.
